It is high time the Los Angeles Kings had a dominant playoff force down the middle. The Kings won two championships for three seasons with centers such as Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Jaret Stoll, and Colin Fraser (in 11-12').

While it's been over a decade since that level of postseason success—and realistically, any postseason success—the Kings have struggled to find answers down the middle while parcels of sand fall out the Anze Kopitar's hourglass. In 2021-22, they acquired Phillip Danault but failed to bypass Edmonton. In 2022-23, they failed to bypass Edmonton with Gabriel Vilardi down the middle. In 2023-24, they failed to bypass Edmonton with Pierre Luc-Dubois after acquiring him by sending off the Vilardi mentioned above. Vilardi was moved with another center prospect in Rasmus Kupari, while the longtime 4C Blake Lizotte departed in free agency to Pittsburg.

Not all is lost, even if it's still a little bleak. The Kings have finally unlocked a key piece in the form of Quinton Byfield. Out of all the centers the Kings drafted from 2017-2021, they surely needed their highest draft pick out of the lot to hit and hit he has. While not saturating the scoresheet with his immeasurable amount of glory and talent, he is producing for a team that is defense-first and has done so with mostly third-line/fringe second-line talent for most of the season.

Byfield has elevated to getting the fourth most ice time on the forward roster, only behind Adrian Kempe, Kopitar, and Kevin Fiala. The season prior, there were six players above him. The season before that? Eight. He has undoubtedly made use of players departing and a spot opening up that he arguably should have had in seasons past, but as a 22-year-old, the tarmac for growth and progression is vast.

Both Vilardi and Dubois were smoked by the Oilers, which is nothing against the two but rather a disparity in the talent they faced. Byfield, on the other hand, is poised to meet the challenge. The young center has faced off against Edmonton twice this season, giving some quality sample data.

Via NST, they dominated in the two games against the Oilers (24:01 with Warren Foegele as his main winger). The duo had Corsi and Fenwick at 54.17% and 50%. They outscored and out-chanced 3-1 and 13-6, respectively. While not solely reliant on the defensively sound Foegele, in 8:45 away from him, Byfield's Corsi and Fenwick jump to 58.33% and 63.64%.

This isn't just against the Oilers and their big guns either, as Byfield has seen most of the top matchups since returning from their second seven-game road trip. It wasn't until the King's offense went stone-cold that Jim Hiller decided to give the previously failed combo of Byfield and Fiala another go.

Some poor play skews Fiala and Byfield's number to start the year, but the underlying numbers are bright (59.61% Corsi, 61.49% Fenwich, 61.49 SF% at even strength). They have looked to be a solid union since their reunion.

If these two players can be dynamic for the Kings down the stretch, the Kings could be matchup nightmares for the first time in four seasons come playoff time, regardless of lacking true superstars. A new version of Byfield could be unlocked if he maintains this level of play going into the playoffs, as the number four TOI forward should continue to be a go-to player in a seven-game series.

Instead of Kempe carrying the load, Byfield may become a serious problem for other teams in April. A word of caution, though: if the 22-year-old falters, the Kings will be finding themselves carrying out the same postseason exit interviews they've conducted three seasons in a row.